Commercial Drive is beloved by Vancouverites for two things: being the epicentre for the city’s counter-culture movements and being a hub of immigrant cultures from around the world—from the Latin Quarter’s weekly Brazilian live music to the popular Italian deli La Grotta Del Formaggio.

Given such a character, it’s no surprise Commercial Drive was the place to watch the World Cup and celebrate the winners. Yesterday’s final match between Spain and the Netherlands had every bar and cafe on the Drive packed to capacity, and when Spain won, the whole street erupted into a spontaneous party that went on for hours.

I was there with my Brazilian hubby—he managed to recover from Brazil’s defeat and go on to be happy for Spain—so I thought I’d share a mini-photo gallery of the celebrations.

Spain’s fans created a spontaneous victory parade down Commercial Drive:

Brazilian drummers brought live music to the chorus of Olé Olé Olé!

Impromptu “re-matches” sprang up all over the Drive, too:

Were you on Commercial Drive for the World Cup party? Or did you celebrate somewhere else in Vancouver? Please share your experiences below!

Inside Vancouver is a multi-author blog, written by Vancouverites about Vancouver. Our goal is to give an insider’s view of Vancouver, to provide information, stories and opinions from the locals’ perspective about this great city.